Order of Good Cheer
L'ORDRE DU BON-TEMPS ~ THE ORDER OF GOOD TIMES
Founding of the Order: November 14th 1606
Location: Port Royale, Annapolis County, New France, now Nova Scotia Canada
Post Nominal: OGT
Classes: Chief Steward ~ Grand Master ~ Matries d’Hotel ~ Chevalier~ Member ~ Knight
Original Purpose of the Order: 1. give succession of "good times" while they were together. 2.to celebrate the good times of the past in France
Contemporary Purpose: 1.In recognition to individuals valued by the Province of Nova Scotia 2.In Honour of the Acadian tradition in Canada
The Order Today.
On May 11th 2001 Speaker of the House in Nova Scotia the Hon. Murray Scott reaffirmed the continued existence of the Order in resolution 1111 as a grant of the Province that requires as a condition of membership a pledge to visit the Canadian Province Nova Scotia . As of 2007 the current honorary Grand Master of the Order, is the Lt. Governor of Nova Scotia, RH Mayann E. Francis while past Grand Masters have included Governor Generals of Canada among other notable Canadians. Today the Province of Nova Scotia continues Order through its Ministry of Heritage. The Order is unique in many ways: it collects no initiation fee, charges no dues and never meets formally. Membership is by invitation of a member or by the Province of Nova Scotia Canada.
It was after a disastrous winter at Ste Croix Island, when many of the first French settlers perished from scurvy that the colony was moved to Port Royale in 1605 and the location of the founding of the Order. L'Ordre Du Bon-Temps, or in English, the Order of Good Times, was organized at Port Royal, now Annapolis, on the fourteenth of November, 1606, at the suggestion of Samuel de Champlain, and carried out by Marc Lescarbot, as the first Chief Steward.
Commander Sieur de Poutrincourt, had been on an expedition on the Atlantic coast towards Cape Cod, and this idea of giving him a glorious reception on his return, had taken hold of everybody remaining at Port Royal. So that upon his return on the 14th of November, 1606, is a date to remember in the annals of the New World, the establishment of the first Order of Chivalry and the birth of the Nevoux Noblise of New France, and the presenting of the first play, in North America. The feast, a weekly occurrence, was continued throughout the winter until the last of March when they again began to cultivate the soil.
Rameau (Une Colonie Feodale, v. 1. p 33), quoting Lescarbot, says: "Poutrincourt returned from his excursion on the 14th November, 1606; Lescarbot, who was always full of ideas, and who knew, no doubt, the useful part to be obtained by exterior demonstrations, foresaw to prepare for his honor a quasi- triumphal return from his voyage; Nature itself has already furnished the principle [sic] initiative, and advantage of it had been taken, everywhere were decorations and garlands of natural green; a magnificent forest hid the rusticity of wooden buildings and huts; even a theatre was built where allegoric scenes were represented; there was a feast, a discharge of musketry, and as much noise as could be made by some fifty men, joined by a few Indians, whose families served as spectators."
Founding Chevaliers of the Order in 1606 ~ The Nevoux Noblise of New France
1. Commander Sieur de Poutrincourt 1st Grand Chancellor 2. Samuel de Champlain 3. Marc Lescarbot 1st Chief Steward 4. Louis Hébert 5. Charles de Biencourt 6. Claude de La Tour 7. Daniel Hay 8. The surgeon 9. Champdore 10. Sagamore Membertou (The Chief of the Mi'kMaq people) 11. Unknown 12. Unknown 13. Unknown 14. Unknown 15. Unknown
Lescarbot's account of the Order is best translated in Murdoch's (v. 1, p 34), in which is described each day's dinner: "There were 15 guests (at Poutrincourt's table), each of whom in his turn, became steward and caterer of the day. At the dinner, the steward, with napkin on shoulder, staff of office in hand, and the collar of the order round his neck, led the van. The other guests in procession followed, each bearing a dish. After grace in the evening, he resigned the insignia to his successor, and they drank to each other in a cup of wine. It was the steward's duty, to look to supplies, and he would go hunt or fish a day or two before his turn came, and add some dainty to the ordinary fare. During the winter they had fowl and game in abundance, supplied by the Indians and by their own exertions. These feasts were often attended by Indians of all ages and both sexes, sometimes twenty or thirty being present. The Sagamore, or chief, Membertou, the greatest Sagamore of the land, and other chiefs, when there, were treated as guests and equals."
We spent this winter very joyously and of good times, due to the L’Odre de l Bon Temps that I established here, which each person finds useful for their health and more beneficial than any sort of medicine that we could have used. The Order was presented as a Chain of office that we placed with some small ceremony, at the neck of one of our people, charging him that day with going hunting; the next day we gave it to another and thus consequently: all who wished to try would do their best and bring the most beautiful hunt: We don’t find it half bad , as well as the Indians who were with us” Voyages of Champlain: 1613
There were at Port Royal, in 1606 less than 70 men. Lescarbot states, that about 50 Frenchmen, joined by a few Indians, participated in the welcoming home of Poutrincourt. Likely all of whom took part in the play, “Neptune”, written by Lescarbot and performed at the first celebration Order.
The men of the Order were originally those who dined at Sieur Poutrincourt’s table. And were only those with whom Champlain and Sieur de Poutrincourt who care to dine. The main table of Poutrincourt, in the great hall of the fort was reserved for 15 of the gentlemen of birth who are credited as the founding Matries d’Hotel or members of the Order. The others would likely sit at other tables, getting probably as good dinners as the rest, but without being recognized as official members. Poutrincourt was, no doubt, the first Grand Chancellor, followed by Champlain, Lescarbot, Louis Hébert, Charles de Biencourt, Claude de La Tour, Charles de La Tour, Daniel Hay, the surgeon, Champdore, Sagamore Membertou
Description of the L’ordre du Bon Temps written by Champlain
Les premiers hivers des Français en Acadie furent très pénibles et coutèrent la vie à plusieurs hommes. On n'a qu’à penser au premier hiver à l’Île Sainte-Croix en 1604-1605 où plus d’une trentaine d’hommes de la compagnie du sieur de Mons périrent du scorbut. Les hivers à Port-Royal furent moins rigoureux, mais quand même longs et ennuyants.
Afin d’égayer l’ambiance et créer un plus grand esprit de corps entre les membres de l’état-major du sieur de Poutrincourt, seigneur de Port-Royal, Samuel de Champlain eut l’idée de créer « l’ordre de Bon-Temps » durant l’hiver 1606-1607.
Tour à tour, les membres de la petite élite de Port-Royal devaient préparer un repas gastronomique pour leurs confrères, repas fruit de leur chasse et de leur pêche dans le riche environnement naturel acadien qui abondait en gibier et en poissons de différentes espèces. De temps en temps, le sagamo Membertou et ses proches étaient aussi invités à partager le festin au cours duquel le responsable de la soirée entrait cérémonieusement dans la salle principale de l’Habitation en portant au cou le collier de l’Ordre qu’il tendait au futur hôte de la prochaine soirée. Dans l’actuelle Habitation reconstruite, aujourd’hui un lieu historique national du Canada, on peut facilement imaginer l’ambiance de ces soirées. Le gouvernement de la province de la Nouvelle-Écosse a redonné vie à l’ordre du Bon Temps et il est possible d’en devenir membre.
Voir description of l'ordre de Bon Temps:Samuel de Champlain dans : BIGGAR, H. P. (éd.) The Works of Samuel de Champlain : vol. I, Toronto, University of Toronto Press, 1922, p. 447-448.